Individual Apple Tarte Tatin

Last week on a rare day off I was watching the BBC America station. Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word was on and I perked up as he made these easy gorgeous individual Pear Tatins studded with Star Anise. I had a bunch of commercial supply puff pastry in my freezer, left over from a event and a few apples left from my solitary apple picking adventure the week before. I was determined to try this stunning simple dessert with what I had and it didn’t disappoint.

The recipe is simple and you just need some fresh hard fruit , peeled and cored, sugar, butter, cinnamon or star anise, and maybe a splash or rum or brandy. Be creative. And of course serve with ice cream or whipped cream to up the indulgence factor. Your guests will be amazed and it saves the terror of flipping over a whole Tarte Tatin.

Prep your apples by peeling, halving, and removing the inner core and stem. Squeeze with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a heavy stainless steel skillet melt butter and sugar carefully and slowly until its starts to caramelize and brown. Be careful not to burn from sugar. You can add a splash or rum or brandy to the caramel.

I remember in HS we had to create a dish that represented a region in France and tarte tatin was mine. I remember at the time thinking the flavors were bland and simple. Clearly my palate was not well developed yet. 🙂 Now I love it and especially enjoy the idea of individual ones.